That's right... a folding table and folding chairs... pretty pathetic. Everything in the house that was random and didn't really have a "home" yet was shoved in there so it was a big hodge podge.I used it more for Emma and I to do craft projects than anything else.
Mike and I always assumed that down the line we would do something with the dining room, and we didn't really mind that it was a catch all... Except when people came to visit. When friends came by it was pretty darn embarrassing that the dining room looked more like a play room than anything else. Heck, our garage is more organized than the dining room was. The truth is neither of us could really justify spending a lot of money to deck out the dining room when it probably isn't going to get used but a few times a year. So it stayed empty...
Until last week, when I found a gorgeous buffet piece on Craigslist for $50. That's right $50!! I couldn't believe it and really I still don't. I told Mike that it was too good of a deal to pass up even if we didn't wind up doing the dining room for another year and a half. It's solid wood and in pristine condition except for one of the drawer knobs being a little loose. I plan to replace the knobs anyway. After Mike saw the buffet, we got to thinking- what if we could find some more amazing deals like that? So we spent the weekend scouring Craigslist and furnishing our dining room.
We drove almost an hour into farm country to pick up a solid wood dining table with beautiful curve details and 6 Queen Anne chairs for $100. The chairs need to be recovered but that's nothing that a few yards of fabric can't fix. With the exception of some surface scratches on the table, the set is in excellent condition. Another amazing find! Oh, and the wood tones coordinate with the tones in the buffet, but not in a matchy- matchy sort of a way.
But by far, the best deal of the weekend was the Thomasville china cabinet in PRISTINE condition for $200. We drove an hour and a half and into a National Forest to buy it from the nicest little old lady ever. She pointed out a scratch on the inside of one of the doors that I still can't find and I know where to look.
We still need to paint the room, buy fabric and recover the chairs, make and hang window treatments, replace or alter rehab the chandelier and add a rug, but we are definitely moving in the right direction that's for sure! I think I'm most excited about finally having a place to put my china away. I love it when everything has a place!
Here's the best part... we've only spent $350!!! So, of course, now we are want to see how inexpensively we can finish the rest of the room. I'm shooting for $500 or under. Mike doesn't think we can do it- so, of course, I'm determined to prove him wrong. Wish me luck!
(BTW- You can see our in progress hallway update in these pics... I promise to tell you more about that as soon as its done!)
